Pittsburgh Half Marathon Training: Week 9

It would seem Mother Nature has a very sick sense of humor.  This past winter was pretty mild by most standards - 70 degrees on Christmas and limited snow made for some pretty decent months that could otherwise be dreadful.  However, chilly temps appparently felt cheated and decided to stay around for a bit longer.

Monday: 5.7 Miles - This workout was a reintroduction to running in not-so-nice conditions.  The wind had a bite that was made worse than normal by the overcast.  In just not feeling like layering up, I decided to hit the treadmill.  I only lasted about 2.5 miles before taking my run outside as my legs just didn't like the monotony of the machine.  

Tuesday: Rest Day

Wednesday: 5 Miles - In its usual identify-confused self, the weather made another shift becoming an absolutely beautiful day.  These miles felt good as I soaked in the vitamin D while knowing, when looking at the upcoming forecast, that my long run would be very different.

Thursday: 5 Miles - While I eventually made it to the roads on Monday, I decided to keep this run to the treadmill, since an icy rain had blown in.  In being easily bored when running in place, I turned on Hulu to let the newest episode of Agents of SHIELD distract me.  I also spent a good portion of the time trying to do mental math converting miles per hour to minutes per mile (which I failed at miserably!).

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: Rest Day

Sunday: 12 Miles - While Saturday tends to be my long-run day, I had to move this workout to Sunday this week due to family obligations.  I really didn't mind doing so, since the weather on Saturday was downright cold and wet.  Sunday proved only slightly better, but I still found myself have to wear running pants and a few upper-body layers.  As I discovered from training in winter, my body just doesn't respond well to the cold; my breathing is labored and my muscles just can't warm up.  The first 6 miles were a struggle in not being able to get into a rhythm and my legs just flopping along.  The second half definitely went better as I was finally cruising along at a decent pace feeling good.  I did do a little bit of fueling during the run, but way underestimated the amount of chews I would need - lesson learned!

Even though I found myself on the treadmill two of the four days this week, I am starting to feel a little more confident about the upcoming race.  I'm considering setting my goal time at 1:45, which would be 3ish minutes faster than my PR.  I'm thinking that if the conditions are right, I just may achieve it!

Happy Running!
Sean